You have probably heard of Black Friday.  Unless you do not have a TV or radio, it is awfully hard to avoid hearing about Black Friday.  What you may not know, however, is how this day of spending got its name.

In the retail world, most businesses operate at a loss for a majority of the year.  This is known as operating “in the red”.  Over time, the day after Thanksgiving became known as the day retail businesses begin turning a profit for the year, which is known as being “in the black”.  Though this is credited as being the origin of the term “Black Friday”, the true origin of this phrase came in 1966 when a publication mentioned the traffic jam and congestion associated with shopping in Philadelphia the day after Thanksgiving.

The Black Friday of today has little to do with business financial reports or traffic jams, although it most certainly does affect both of those things.  Today, the image conjured by that phrase tends to be more along the lines of chaotic masses of people scrambling and fighting to save a few dollars on the top toys, electronics and other goodies at big box retail stores.

In fact, every year there are reports of fights, shootings and other violence associated with the shopping mania that overtakes people on this day.

While for some people, the savings may be worth the fighting and clawing through the aisles, for the rest of us, Black Friday is a day to stay home and think about how nice it was to finish our Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving!